Penn State Hockey: Nittany Lions Enter Second Half Of Season At No.12 In PairWise

Penn State hockey will open the second half of the season this weekend against Wisconsin ranked No. 15 in the latest USCHO.com national poll and No.12 in the PairWise rankings.

The Nittany Lions are 6-0-2 in their last eight games and most recently swept Robert Morris almost a month ago in a series that took place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and back in State College at Pegula Ice Arena.

Penn State joins four other Big Ten teams in the rankings with Notre Dame (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 8), Minnesota (No. 10) and Wisconsin (No. 15) while Michigan is still receiving votes.

Overall this season Penn State ranks tops in the nation in goals (82), assists (144), points (226), shots on goal (825) and shots on goal per game (41.25). Junior Andrew Sturtz is the second leading scorer in the entire country with 26 points on 10 goals and 16 assists.

The Nittany Lions return to the ice on Friday and Saturday for a key series against Wisconsin. Penn State is currently third in the conference with 15 points, just a single point behind Ohio State. Notre Dame is currently undefeated in conference play, pacing the way with 30 points in the Big Ten.

Nine of Penn State's final 14 regular season games will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.

Saquon Barkley made the assumed official on Sunday as the junior running back declared for the NFL Draft, forgoing his final season of eligibility.

“I would like to start off by saying thank you so much for all of the memories that you have helped create over the last three years, whether it be on the football field, in school or in the community,” Barkley said in a statement. “I